GILFORD—Christmastime wasn’t easy for Jennifer and Richard Fielders, back when they were each single parents, raising seven children between them. Staying on top of their regular monthly bills was tough. Buying winter gear and Christmas gifts was a huge stretch.

Jennifer Fielders says she and her husband appreciated the help they received from the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. That’s why they give back to the auction today, taking part in Patrick’s mega-fundraiser, Pub Mania, and also coming out every week without fail in the spring and fall for the Pub Mania Shuffle.

“We both got assistance when our kids were younger, so it’s huge for us to give back,” Fielders said. “We involve our kids and let them know a lot of their Christmases came from the Children’s Auction. It means a lot to our family to participate in the Pub Mania Shuffle.”

The Shuffle is a two-mile walk/run held for eight weeks in the spring and fall; the funds raised through it feed into the annual Pub Mania tally. Last year, the Children’s Auction raised $580,584, with $353,361 coming from Pub Mania—and nearly $20,000 from the Shuffle.

When the springtime Shuffle starts up again on Wednesday, April 17 at 6 p.m., you can bet Fielders, her family, her friends, and her staff at Jennifer’s Color Bar in Gilford will all be there.

“I always encourage people to come out,” she said. “People have a great time. You can’t beat it.”

Everyone does the Shuffle differently. Some make the $10 required donation and walk the two-plus-mile course that begins at Patrick’s, heads to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, and winds back. Others run. Some ride their bicycles.

Some Shufflers don’t Shuffle at all. They simply take their raffle and complimentary drink tickets into Patrick’s to have a beverage.

“Everyone loves the Shuffle,” said Patrick’s Co-owner Allan Beetle. “People catch up, socialize, get in some exercise and maybe a bite to eat— and it’s all ‘for the kids’ as we like to say.”

Patrick’s covers the cost of the free drink per Shuffler and also organizes the logistics of the events. “What they do for the community, you can’t say enough about it,” Fielders said. “It’s amazing.”

The raffle—held after the walk has ended for the last Shufflers—is a big weekly draw. Prizes include Patrick’s Frisbees or sweatshirts and other Pub Mania memorabilia. Through Sunday May 5, Shufflers and Patrick’s customers can also enjoy the warmth at Patrick’s Beach Bar.

Fielders is team captain for the Pub Mania team Color Me Christmas, entering its third year. The Shuffle serves as one of many ways the 24-member team helps raise money. Shuffling to the tune of $2,500 worth last year; the team raised just over $9,000 in total.

Other fundraisers include sales of Yankee Candles, a cornhole tournament planned for May this year, ornament sales at Christmastime, and a lottery ticket raffle.

Walking the Shuffle route and catching up over dinner is a tradition for Fielders and the friends, family, and staff on her team. “We have a core group that comes every time, and they try to bring friends, whoever we can round up from week to week,” she said.

Her 6-year-old granddaughter is always part of the fun, as are the Fielders’ children, now between the ages of 17 and 26. “The Shuffle is an easy way to raise money for the team and a fun way to get together while exercising,” Jennifer Fielders said.

For more information on Patrick’s Pub, call 293-0841 or visit www.patrickspub.com.

The post The Patrick’s Pub Mania Shuffle Resumes April 17 appeared first on Beetle Press.

Weekly fundraiser resumes tonight at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery and runs through Oct. 24

GILFORD—When Kate Flaherty moved back to New Hampshire from Massachusetts in 2015, she was drawn back into the fold by her longtime friends at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery as a volunteer for the Pub Mania Shuffle and the Pub Mania event itself.

These days, Flaherty’s face is often the first one that new members of Pub Mania teams see when they arrive in the pub parking lot to Shuffle on a Wednesday evening in the spring or fall, and it’s Flaherty who offers the welcome and draws people in.

“Every time we do a Shuffle, we always meet new people; they come down because they’ve read about the event in the newspaper,” said Flaherty, who mans the ticket booth at the Shuffle along with fellow volunteers Jennifer Beetle, Jennifer Bailey, and Lisa Cornish.  

Flaherty’s Shuffle story, and that of the fundraiser itself, is told online at www.patrickspub.com in a new blog Patrick’s launched on Aug. 13.

Flaherty said they all enjoy telling Shufflers how the two-mile walk/run supports Pub Mania, which, in turn, provides a large portion of the proceeds for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. Last year, Pub Mania raised $303,630 and has raised over $1.6 million in its first nine years.

This spring, the eight Wednesday Shuffles raised $9,020 for the 2018 Pub Mania event, bringing the five-year Shuffle total to over $52,000. The fall Shuffles begin tonight and continue through Oct. 24. All are welcome to attend.

“What I have noticed is that the Shuffle gets people from different parts of the Lakes Region together, and our common goal is making this beautiful place even better and helping children who need our support,” Flaherty said.

“Many people don’t know about Pub Mania or the Children’s Auction,” she added. “It’s always a conversation I have that starts with, “Did you know…? We love telling that story.”

This because the Pub Mania story is an exciting one.

Inspired by Laconia Athletic & Swim Club’s Cycle Mania, Patrick’s Co-Owner Allan Beetle first imagined the innovative, 24-hour barstool challenge nine years ago as a fundraiser for the Children’s Auction. A major community event held every December for over 33 years, the Children’s Auction provides grants to local nonprofits that help meet children’s basic needs and provide services and initiatives that improve their lives.

Fundraising by Pub Mania’s 33 teams is ongoing all year, bolstered by the Shuffle, which Patrick’s launched in the fall of 2013 to bring more fun and healthy competition into the mix and to keep the Pub Mania conversation going all year long.

Flaherty said everyone does the Shuffle differently. Some people make the $10 required donation and walk the two-plus-mile course that begins at Patrick’s, heads to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, and winds back. Others run. And some people simply take their raffle and complimentary drink tickets into Patrick’s to have a drink and check out the menu and the specials.

“People can get what they want out of it,” Flaherty said, noting that after Beetle has biked the course and made sure everyone made it back safely, Shufflers have their cocktail, usually with apps or dinner, and hope to win a Patrick’s Frisbee or sweatshirt in the raffle. “They give away good stuff.”

Pub Mania teams have fun competing in the Shuffle over how much money they are raising and how many team members show up to take part—just as they do in the 24-hour event.

Flaherty said her job as Shuffle ticket master is an easy one, but she does have to pay attention. “I have to give out three raffle tickets and one drink ticket to each person—and not the other way around,” she jokes.

The Shuffle has been around long enough, Flaherty said, that it’s become a tradition for many. “It gives people in the community a chance to connect with one another while exercising and raising money to help people in need at the same time,” she said, adding, “I’ve learned from Jennifer and Allan that fundraising can be a lot of fun. It doesn’t feel like work.”

The post Volunteer Welcomes the Shufflers, Supports the Community appeared first on Beetle Press.